Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas (“Legal Aid”) and the Women’s Advocacy Project, Inc. hosted the “2006 Legal Symposium on Domestic Violence” in Dallas on November 10, 2006. Over 125 attendees representing 55 different shelters in Legal Aid’s 114-county service area spent the day learning about legal services for victims of domestic violence and crime. The audience included shelter advocates and executive directors, police, attorneys and judges as well as representatives from the Texas Attorney General’s Office, the Dallas District Attorney’s Office, the Texas Equal Access to Justice Foundation, and the American Bar Association, among others.

Texas Supreme Court Justice Harriet O’Neill spoke to the group during lunch, encouraging them in the work they do. She serves on the Texas Access to Justice Commission, which was created by the Supreme Court to develop and implement initiatives designed to ensure that the court system is available to meet the basic civil legal needs of low-income Texans.

“We wanted to provide training for the shelters and agencies in our 114-county service area who serve victims of domestic violence. The chance to provide this dedicated group with training and a networking opportunity was wonderful.,” said Legal Aid’s CEO, Jesse L. Gaines. The symposium was free to all shelters in Legal Aid’s 114 county service area and travel reimbursement was provided to domestic violence shelter attendees.

Some of the speakers included: Honorable Judith Wells of the 325th District Court ,Ft. Worth, Texas ; Cheryl M. Zalenski of the American Bar Association Center for Pro Bono; Michael Hayes & Anita Stuckey from the Office of the Texas Attorney General; Lori DeAngelis, private pro bono attorney in Fort Worth; Kelly Knight, Executive Director with the Noah Project, Inc and the morning keynote speech was provided by Robin Runge, Executive Director with the American Bar Association Commission on Domestic Violence.

The training needs of both rural and urban agencies were considered when creating the agenda for this one-day event. A planning committee worked for many months to determine the topics and speakers that would most benefit this diverse audience. The committee included Diana Philip (Women’s Advocacy Project, Inc., Caitlin Coyner (Brighter Tomorrows), Jodee Lucero (Cross Timbers Family Services), Betty Balli Torres and Lisa Melton (Texas Equal Access to Justice Foundation) and Legal Aid staff and managers Jonathan Vickery, Jesse Gaines, Vernon Lewis, George Elliott, Dorothy Holguin, Maria Thomas-Jones, Kathy Duncan, Sam Prince, and Katherine Fernandez. Jonathan W. Vickery, Director of Advocacy and Grants Administration for Legal Aid, praised the committee’s work, “We were very grateful for the work of the planning committee. The symposium would not have been the success it was without their efforts and dedication.” The all day program included substantive workshops, sessions and multiple tracks for executive directors and legal advocates on how to assist and support victims of domestic violence needing to access the legal system to help end the cycle of violence. Workshops included:

• Best Practices for the Use of Legal Advocates
• Basic Family Law
• Preparing Domestic Violence Victims for the Legal System
• Legal Advocates Role in Protective Orders
• Texas Attorney General’s Family Strengthening Initiatives
• Creating Pro Bono Opportunities
• Executive Director’s Track: “Best Practices In Responding to A Subpoena
• Domestic Violence Victims Needing Divorce
• Legal Advocate Roundtable
• Judges Panel- Child Custody Issues in Domestic Violence Cases before the Bench
• Non Family Law Issues Impacting Victims Of Domestic Violence Preparing Clients for the Legal System
• Description of LANWT Intake System & Case Selection Process
• Overview of LANWT Pro Bono Programs

The event was funded by Legal Aid f NorthWest Texas with assistance from the Texas Equal Access For Justice Foundation. Legal Aid provides free civil legal aid for low-income clients in the Texas Panhandle, North and West Texas. Please click her to see slide show of pictures.